My 10 Favorite Movies of 2020
Here we are in March and I’m just now getting around to writing up this post that usually comes in early January. Like many aspects of life over the last year, my movie watching habits have been shifted from the “normal” way of doing things.
For one, it’s been nearly an entire year since I last set foot in a movie theater. Watching movies in a dark room with a group of strangers is one of my favorite pastimes, and I am greatly looking forward to getting vaccinated and having the opportunity to see movies in theaters once more. But health and safety comes first, so there are some movies I have not seen yet. There have also been some streaming films that I may not have watched before that I tried out this year. In most cases, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the broadening of my movie experiences. You’ll see that represented in this year’s list by the presence of feature films, a documentary, and a concert film.
Still, despite the extended period of time I’ve waited to publish this post, there may be some additions as I catch up on films I missed. I’ll also post links, as normal, to any articles I wrote on these films. I highly encourage you to check out both Filmotomy and InSession Film, as each site has many great writers who do a fantastic job of covering the year in movies. Finally, these are my personal favorites. If you don't see a film on here that you loved, don't take that as me slighting any film. I thought this was a year full of incredible filmmaking from a wide array of artists. These are the 10 films that I saw this year that resonated with me the most, but that doesn't mean they are the only films that struck a chord with me.
With that, let's get into the list!
Honorable Mention
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7
4. I’m Your Woman
3. Hamilton
2. Soul
1. Red, White, and Blue
My Top 10 of 2020
10. Lovers Rock
Speaking of Small Axe, here’s another film from the series. McQueen takes a completely different tone here, and it’s incredibly refreshing. This is a joyful experience - a snapshot of a party and the romance between two lovers. It introduced me to music I had not heard before - particularly “Silly Games” by Janet Kay. This is a powerful experience that is wholly its own. No other film made in 2020 was quite like this one.
9. One Night in Miami
Kemp Powers shows up again on the list, here for the screenplay he adapted from his own stage play about a night where four legends spent time together. These legends - Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcom X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) - dominate the film, but it is the voice of a new legend that gives the film its power. Director Regina King makes her feature film directorial debut with this film. After winning an Oscar for If Beale Street Could Talk, King weaves this story that mostly takes place in a hotel room into a powerful cinematic statement and one of the year’s best films.
8. Another Round**
Mads Mikkelsen has been one of our great actors for a while now, but he gives the best performance of his career in Another Round. This story of teachers who attempt to tap into another level by staying at a certain blood alcohol content at all times. As you might imagine, the experiment does not quite go as planned. Throughout it all, though, the acting and direction are top notch.
7. Promising Young Woman
This film is unlike any other. It is wholly unique. Here is another actress-turned-director, as Emerald Fennell achieves so much with her own feature directorial debut. This film is really hers and Carey Mulligan’s, the lead actress who gives one of the performances of the year. Just when you think you have this film sized up, it shifts in startling ways. It is an unsettling experience, but what it has to say about the way men have treated women in our culture is so important. Across the board, the casting is pitch perfect, too.
Here is the third Small Axe film to show up on this list. When another courtroom drama depicting racial tensions is getting loads of Best Picture buzz (The Trial of the Chicago 7, which made the Honorable Mention of this list), this film is the best of its kind to be released in 2020, in my opinion. I’ve long been a fan of McQueen’s directorial style. He brings it all here. This film is a powerful experience of nearly the same level as his masterful 2018 film, Widows.
5. Minari*
A mesmerizingly powerful film. Steven Yeun gives a fantastic lead performance, as does Yuh-jung Youn in a supporting role as Soonja. Beautiful cinematography, a fantastic script, and pitch-perfect direction from Lee Isaac Chung make this one of the year’s best films. Also, I hope that young Alan Kim has a bright career ahead of him. He’s sure a scene stealer in this film!
4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
The loss of Chadwick Boseman is still difficult to grasp. I wrote about how his performance in this 2020 Netflix drama should win him a posthumous Oscar for Best Actor. Instantly, I think it is one of the great performances of our time. Viola Davis gives a powerful performance in her own right. The entire cast is fantastic, and the film is elevated by its great acting turns.
3. Nomadland
Films have a unique power to help us enter into the experience of other human beings. No other art form has quite the same capacity for empathy. Chloe Zhao’s film about nomads in the American West uses this aspect of filmmaking better than many in recent memory. And it never hurts to have one of the greatest actresses in movie history leading your film. Frances McDormand gives another incredible acting turn, as does David Strathairn, one of my personal favorite actors.
2. The Last Dance
It became an instant pop culture phenomenon. The memes continue to be ubiquitous. Jason Hehir’s documentary gave us a small window into what it would have been like if the dynastic Chicago Bulls of the Michael Jordan era had played during the age of social media. The series pulls back the curtain behind this legendary team with unprecedented access. But what makes it particularly memorable are the small moments - like when Michael Jordan plays quarters with the United Center security guards.
1. David Byrne’s American Utopia
Near the end of 2020, I became obsessed with the music of Talking Heads. I watched the sublime Jonathan Demme-helmed Stop Making Sense - what many consider to be the greatest concert film ever made. David Byrne decided to go back to the formula of putting on a great show and turning over the reins of filming it to an artist with a supreme voice of his own. In this case, the film is directed by the great Spike Lee. What results is the perfect film with which to process the harrowing year we all had in 2020. This film creates space for thought, pain, anger, and hope. It is the greatest film of 2020.
*March 27, 2021: Minari was added at number 5, moving Soul to Honorable Mention and removing Judas and the Black Messiah from the list.
**March 27, 2021: Another Round was added at number 8, moving Red, White, and Blue to Honorable Mention and removing First Cow from the list.
Thanks for reading! You can also see this list on my Letterboxd account where I stretched it out to my 25 favorite films of the year. This version of the list is expanded to include shorts.